Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Given that I had neither attended an event at the Theatre in the Grove, nor seenAnnie, it is fair to say that I was completely unprepared for the delightful evening in store. I have to admit to a little trepidation at my seating, which was no more than fifteen feet from the orchestra pit and near enough to the stage that I could probably read the labels on the costumes, but once the show began, I was so swept away by the production that I probably would have been blissfully ignorant of a zombie invasion until they reached my row.

Jennifer Yamashiro, Mackenzie Gross, and Brandon B. Weaver

From the opening note of the overture to the final note of the finale, it was clear that the orchestra led by Sheryl Macy was the engine of the production - they played with a glorious combination of vibrancy and restraint that allowed the vocalists to shine.

Early in the show it was apparent that opening night nerves were at play and there were a few strained verses, but to my ears the ensemble hit all the right notes. Mackenzie Gross, the actress who plays “Annie,” is a delight, deftly alternating between a tough little optimist and the heart-tugging orphan who simply wants to be reunited with her parents. In a production filled with wonderful music, it is Mackenzie’s touching rendition of “Maybe” that I will remember.

Natasha Kujawa, Zachary Centers, and Jeanna Van Dyke

I had always wondered about the obsessive fascination that female actors that I have met seem to share about the role of Miss Hannigan. From the start Jeanna Van Dyke’s portrayal was thoroughly unlikeable, tawdry, sleazy…and hilarious. I found the juxtaposition of Van Dyke’s Hannigan to an equally wonderful Jennifer Yamashiro as Grace Farrell, hysterical. The scene in which Grace tells Miss Hannigan that Oliver Warbucks wants to adopt Annie is worth the price of admission all by itself.

In a production that abounds with high caliber vocalists, musicians and material, I could not get enough of Jennifer Yamashiro. The combination of her vocal talent and the believability that she infused into her role as Grace Farrell was glorious. And Brandon B. Weaver’s delivery, gravity and timing gave a real dimension of warmth and credibility to the relationship between Warbucks and Annie without over-emphasizing the deep melancholy of the connection they share.

While Gross, Van Dyke, Yamashiro, and Weaver establish a foundation of excellence for the production, it is the exceptional ensemble that director Darren Hurley assembled which elevates TITG’sAnniefrom good to over-the-top great community theater. Luella Harrelson’s precocious and scene stealing “Molly” is delightful, Natasha Kujawa’s “Lily St. Regis” is a revelation (in the program she says it’s her “dream role” and she delivers it fabulously) and she is the perfect foil for Zachary Centers’ convincingly greasy “Rooster Hannigan,” Darrell Baker gives a warm and grounded performance as larger-than-life icon FDR, Emma Holland’s “Star To Be” solo is extraordinary and Sarah Ominski sparkles in multiple roles.

I’m not sure I have ever seen a musical that uses choreography so effectively to set the narrative tone. Choreographer Carla Kujawa’s choices are superb, and the ensemble executes that vision so well that even if we had been unable to hear a note, pretty much the whole story was delivered flawlessly by the motion and blocking of the cast.

In an evening of great musical theater, the one somber note always present through the warp and weft of the tapestry of the performance was its dedication to Abby (who was to be inAnnie) and Anna, who as the program states were “two beautiful souls that left us much too soon.”

All in all, ifAnnieis indicative of the quality that Theatre In The Grove has been producing for the last 42 years, then there are a lot of theater lovers like me who should probably be kicking themselves for waiting so long to make their way out to Forest Grove.

Annieis playing at Theatre in the Grove, 2028 Pacific Avenue, Forest Grove through December 22, with performances at 7:30 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 2:30 pm on Sundays.

Hillsboro residents are fortunate to have two companies
offering live theater in town – HART and Bag&Baggage. From a community
perspective, these very different troupes should not be viewed as rivals, but
as complementary players, each group offering something uniquely wonderful to
local fans of live theater.

Bag&Baggage’s stage in the glamorous old Venetian
Theatre gives them room for lush shows with elaborate sets (and huge
audiences). HART’s compact theater provides a cozy space where patrons and
actors are separated by only a few feet, providing an intimate connection
between cast and audience.Bag&Baggage gives lots of local high school students their first
opportunity to experience live theater through its TEN4ONE program, offering
free tickets on a space available basis. HART, through its symbiotic
relationship with the STAGES Performing Arts Youth Academy, gives many
Hillsboro-area youth their first chance to sing, dance, and act on a real
stage. Bag&Baggage has, in lieu of a lobby, an upscale full-service
restaurant and bar. At intermission, HART’s petite lobby lures patrons with the
scent of freshly baked cookies and fresh-brewed coffee (not to mention free
champagne on opening nights!).

It’s Christmas, 2013, and suddenly worlds collide. Both
groups are offering what seems to be essentially the same show – It’s A Wonderful Life, the Radio Show (HART)
and It’s A (Somewhat) Wonderful Life (Bag&Baggage).Remarkably, the two productions, like the
troupes that spawned them, are complementary rather than duplicative. Read on
to find out how!

HART

Jody Spradlin, Karen Roder, and Aaron Morrow at HART.

HART Theatre’s theme this season is “HART Looks At Art,” and
this year’s holiday show fits like a glove. For those people too young to have
attended the taping of a live radio show (and that includes almost everybody!)
HART’s presentation of It’s A Wonderful
Life – A Live Radio Show may be as close as they’ll get to this grand old
American tradition. Director Paul Roder has clearly done his homework – the
HART set closely replicates the conditions in a small-town, late 40’s radio
studio – a row of chairs, a row of microphones, a row of actors, a table full
of sound effects for the Foley artist, a live audience (us), a clock, and two
signs (“ON AIR” and “APPLAUSE”).

It’s A Wonderful Life
is curiously dark for a holiday favorite – this fundamentally depressing tale
of the very good, but suicidal George Bailey is saved at the last minute (as is
George) by the intervention of a Guardian Angel, Clarence. Throughout his life,
George’s dreams have been dashed by bad fortune, so much that he thinks it
would be better if he had never been born. By showing how the world would have
been without George Bailey, Clarence lifts George’s spirits and convinces him
that his life has, in fact, been wonderful in its own way.

Movie audiences familiar with Jimmy Stewart’s classic
portrayal may not recognize the George Bailey they remember in Aaron Morrow’s
performance. Stewart’s Bailey, while depressed and angry, retains an avuncular,
cartoonish flavor. Morrow brings a darker tone, creating a real character whose
private despair bursts out in moments of genuine anger.

In radio dramas, a small group of actors are called upon to
play multiple parts. Paul Roder sets the record – in addition to directing, he
plays eleven different characters, switching from voice to voice and accent to
accent with lightning speed. Tony Smith and Ilana Watson are hard on Roder’s
heels, with 10 parts each, and they bring a versatile professionalism that
rivals that of the authentic radio performers of the era. Jody Spradlin, while
required to play only the part of Mary Hatch Bailey, fills a key role – her
warmth and empathy help the audience understand that George is truly blessed,
despite the hardships he has endured. Karen Roder puts them all to shame – in
addition to doing costumes, window and lobby décor, in her portrayal of Foley
artist Gladys “Gizmo” Watkins she is the busiest actor on the set.

While the show technically begins at 7:30 (air time for the
radio drama), audiences are advised to come early. The theater opens at 7:00,
and by 7:15 the WBFR singers (Seth Rue, Sarah Thornton, and Emily Miletta the
evening we were there) are warming up the audience with a selection of holiday
and ‘40s pop tunes.

It’s A Wonderful Life
– A Live Radio Show plays at the HART Theatre, 185 SE Washington, Hillsboro
on December 5th, 8th, 12th and 15th
at 7:30 pm, and December 7th and 14th at 2:00 pm.

BAG&BAGGAGE

It’s A (Somewhat)
Wonderful Life is many things – fast-paced, funny, engaging, and witty, to
name just a few. The one thing it is not is It’s A Wonderful Life. The Frank Capra classic, as adapted by
director Scott Palmer, is not so much the story as it is the vehicle through
which the story is told.

A group of veteran radio actors have gathered for the annual
Christmas broadcast of It’s A Wonderful
Life. In a curious parallel to the life of IAWL star George Bailey, from
the beginning nothing goes right. A fanzine has reported erroneously that star
Petunia Pennywhistle loves rum-soaked fruitcake, and station WBNB is inundated
with fruitcakes sent by her adoring public. Petunia dumps the fruitcakes on
production assistant Pete Paulson, who absent-mindedly nibbles his way to total
inebriation just before airtime. Two key players are missing – the other female
lead (who has ditched them to play the Ghost of Christmas Future in another
production), and the Foley artist/special effects guru. The drunken Paulson is
ordered to replace the Foley artist, a role in which he would have been inept
even if he were sober. Player Winston Whiteside arrives with his bimbo du jour,
lingerie saleslady Lana North-Berkshire, for whom he has rewritten parts of the
show.The tension is heightened by
jealousy between handsome lead Carlson Calaway and Francis Fishburne, who
harbors a powerful yen for the fair Ms. Pennywhistle. Somehow the cast manages
to lurch through the radio script – it’s a true Christmas miracle! Along the
way, the audience is treated to some of the best comedy moments of the season.

The strong six-person cast fills a multitude of roles with a
combination of sharp delivery and broad physical comedy. Despite the chaotic set-up, the characters never step over the line from
slapstick to unrestrained farce. Ian Armstrong (Calaway) is hilarious as he
slips from his character’s haughty demeanor to a truly boffo Jimmy Stewart
impersonation. Branden McFarland(Pete
Paulson) makes the most of the oft-thankless role of male ingénue, despite
being mute throughout Act I. Somehow he manages to constantly draw the
audience’s attention by being virtually (and sometimes literally) invisible to
the rest of the cast. His impassioned speech in Act II pulls the radio show
together; a moment that could have been disgustingly maudlin is saved when he
concludes his speech with a dead-drunk pratfall.

Jessica Geffen simply sparkles in her portrayal of Lana
North-Berkshire. She is a crass, brassy, bawdy innocent, dazzled by the lure of
show biz and 100% committed as she hurls herself into one absurd
characterization after another. Scott Palmer has created a very funny role, and
Geffen lets none of the comic potential slip away.

It’s A (Somewhat)
Wonderful Life is too good a show to be limited to one run at the Venetian.
We hope that Scott Palmer will share his script and staging with other theater
companies so that a wider audience can join in the fun.

Bag&Baggage’s production of It’s A (Somewhat) Wonderful Life is playing at the Venetian
Theatre, 253 E. Main Street, Hillsboro through Monday, December 23d.

Monday, December 2, 2013

Pictured left to right are Sean Powell, Jeremy Sloan, Matthew
Brown, and Robert Head. Photo by Craig Mitchelldyer

﻿

By Tina Arth and Darrell Baker

On this lovely Thanksgiving day we are thankful that we
consider ourselves reviewers, not critics. Last night’s production of Plaid Tidings at Broadway Rose would
stymie a critic – there is, quite simply, nothing to criticize. The show is not
just perfect, it’s: wonderful, enchanting, festive, funny, wistful,
heartwarming… everything a Christmas show should be.

Show creator Stuart Ross brought the original show, Forever Plaid, to the stage in 1990. For
years he resisted writing a sequel, but he finally relented after 9/11,
convinced that “we all needed a little joy and a little cozy holiday fun to
lift spirits.” It is something of an understatement to say that he succeeded,
and his success is amplified three-fold by the sensitivity, wit, and
craftsmanship of Director Dan Murphy and Music Director Jeffrey Childs (not to
mention the cast – but more about that later!).

Former high school buddies Sparky, Jinx, Smudge, and Frankie
had formed a close-harmony guy group, The Plaids. The group’s
none-too-successful career was cut short by a fatal car crash; they were on
their way to a show when they collided with a bus full of Catholic girls off to
see the Beatles.The Plaids have already
returned to Earth once in their role as celestial Guardians of Harmony (in Forever Plaid) and they have no idea why
their have been brought back for a sequel. The slow revolves around their
musical attempts to fulfill an unknown destiny, carrying us through decades of
musical styles (most done, of course, in their signature 4-part harmony). With
the help of a disembodied Rosemary Clooney they finally figure out that they
are here to give the Christmas show they never got to do (and to bring a little
harmony into the lives of their audience). Not surprisingly, the rest of the
show is comprised primarily of the Plaids performing their holiday masterpiece,
“Plaid Tidings.”

While each of the Plaids (Matthew Brown as “Sparky,” Robert
Head as “Jinx,” Sean Powell as “Smudge,” and Jeremy Sloan as “Frankie”) has the
opportunity to shine in solo or lead performances, Plaid Tidings is a quintessentially ensemble show.Despite their four amazing voices, the whole
is so much greater than the sum of its parts that it is senseless to parse out
individual performances for special praise. Each performer is called on for
much more than his vocal prowess – we get juggling, dancing (Agnes de Mille
would be stunned at their use of “plumber’s friends” in lieu of Fiddler’s broomsticks), pratfalls, an
amazing attempt at the splits, physical comedy, accordion and piano playing,
and a hefty dose of shamelessly wide-eyed and innocent pathos.

Of course, the Plaids don’t do it all by themselves.Bassist Sean Vinson and pianist Jeffrey Childs
provide a full and polished musical background (except when Childs is off on
his “union-mandated break”), and Bearclaw Heart’s lighting design is, as
always, impeccable. The cleverly designed sets flow seamlessly, taking the
Plaids from four mikes on a bare stage to a completely realized holiday setting
without delay.

No other Portland
area company rivals Broadway Rose in presenting concert-quality music to
musical theater audiences, and Plaid
Tidings is Broadway Rose at its finest. It just doesn’t get any better than
this.As word gets out, tickets will go
fast – buy now. You deserve a Plaid Christmas.

Broadway Rose Theatre Company’s Plaid Tidings runs through December 22 at the New Stage, 12850 SW Grant Avenue,
Tigard. See the Broadway Rose website for show dates and tickets.